Lunar Disturbances
by chipzixo
Summary: It's three days until full moon. At least, that's what the chart says. Sirius believes different. My first fanfic, R&R! :D Including the Marauders with an appearance from Lily :D disclaimer; i don't own harry potter, unfortunately xD
1. Something's Wrong

**Right, Okay. This is my first fanfic, so be nice ^^. Basically, Sirius is sitting in the dorm with Peter + Remus. He's bored, cause it's been raining all day. And it's summer! It's about 7 in the evening, and nobody's in the common room. Yes, that's important :)**

**So now, enjoy the story xD.**

_Lunar Disturbances._

Sirius sat on the window ledge of his dormitory staring at the rain. _Rain_, he thought,_ in__ the middle of summer_. What dim light had been around that day was now beginning to fade and the moon was creeping up. He sighed. Today had not been a good day at all.

"Okay, Sirius?"

Peter's squeaky voice came from the opposite side of the dormitory. Lazily, Sirius turned to look at him and cleared his throat. "Just bored, that's all, Pete," he yawned, rolling his eyes back to face the rain, "Where are the others, anyway?"

He heard Peter's unsteady footsteps approaching his window-ledge. "James is downstairs, chasing Lily," he replied. Sirius let out a soft laugh. It was all James ever seemed to be doing of late. Peter laughed too and then continued, "And Remus is still in the bathroom."

Sirius' eyes snapped to Peter's. He raised one, thin eyebrow.

"Still?"

Remus has been in the bathroom for around 15 minutes now, complaining of illness. Sirius slid down from his seat and turned to the bathroom door. He advanced quickly towards the door, stopping at it's cracked, wooden surface. He knocked gently with two knuckles and leaned into it.

"Remus? Are you okay?"

The answering groan made Sirius shiver. His eyes flickered to a moon chart on the wall; it wasn't full moon yet, and so it was safe to go in.

Or so he thought.

Creaking the door open slowly, Sirius peered around the edge. Remus was doubled over, arms on the sink, head in his hands. He was shaking violently and whimpering quietly. Not daring to take his eyes off Remus, Sirius whispered over his shoulder. "Go and get James." He took a step forward, but heard no movement behind him. His head snapped around, his black curls falling across his face. Peter was frozen, his eyes wide and watery, his upper lip beginning to tremble. It was obvious he had seen Remus too.

"Peter, go!" And with that he dashed from the room, not looking back.

Uncertainly, Sirius turned back to Remus and took another step towards him. He stretched out a comforting hand and crouched until their faces were level. "Remus?" The boy's eyes snapped to his, glaring at him through the gap in his folded arms. They were buried under a furrowed brow and glistening in a way Sirius hadn't thought possible. The friendly, hazel and green blended gaze he was used to had all but disappeared and an unfamiliar colour stared back at him.

Remus' eyes were burning amber.

Sirius took a sharp breath and staggered backwards, his eyes flickering again to the moon chart on the wall near to the window. It said there were three days left until full moon, yet Remus' eyes told him different. For they were not human eyes, he was sure of that. Those were the eyes of a wolf.

"Sirius?!" James' exclamation broke Sirius' train of thought. He was standing in the doorway, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. His expression was one of panic and concern. Unable to speak, Sirius pointed at the bathroom where Remus stood. James marched towards the door, but Peter – who had materialised behind him – pulled him back, whispering shakily that something was wrong. James continued to stare at Sirius, thoughts whizzing past his eyes, waiting for an explanation. But, as Sirius opened his mouth, something collapsed loudly behind them.

Remus had staggered from the bathroom, and was presently kneeling halfway across the room. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and accompanied by occasional groans or grunts. He lifted his head and stared at his friends, the ghost of the wolf he became drifting across his troubled features.

"help…me…"

Staring down at the struggling teenager kneeling in front of him, Sirius knew what to do. It was obvious that something had gone wrong in the lunar cycle and the rising moon was causing Remus to transform. If they didn't get him out of the castle soon then everybody in it would either be dead or infected before the night was through. Pulling his gaze away from the shivering Remus, he turned to face his other friends who were also staring down at the boy in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"We need to get him out of here, out of the castle," said Sirius, as a fat tear rolled town Peter's cheek. His head was shaking and he was slowly rocking on his heels, muttering under his breath. Sirius clicked his fingers and their eyes met his - James' understanding and thoughtful, Peter's brimful of fearful tears.

"Now."


	2. Interruptions

With in an instant everything started to move. Sirius headed back towards Remus and put his arm around his shoulders, helping him to his feet. His shirt was damp with cold sweat.

"Sirius," Remus whispered, trying to shake his friend's arm from his back, "No…"

But Sirius only held on tighter. "It's okay mate, we'll get you out."

James was already halfway down the stairs, shouting that he was going to get Professor Bones, and that someone should run and get Dumbledore.

"Peter," Sirius called, "Stay with Remus, I'll run and get Dumbledore. Take him out of the grounds. Quickly. Use the nearest exit." He took their map from his robe pocket and threw it at Peter, leading the way down the stairs with the doubled-over Remus under his arm. It was going to look suspicious walking through the common room, but that would have to be dealt with later. Also, it was late, so there wouldn't be many people around anyway.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs Sirius found his conclusion to be right – the common room was almost empty. A few steps in front of them was James, leading the way. Glancing down at the groaning Remus, Sirius marched his way through, following him. Peter's heavy footsteps could be heard behind.

"Potter?"

James spun on his heels, almost knocking Sirius and Remus over. They turned too, to see a confused looking Lily Evans staring at them. Ignoring her, Sirius called to the advancing Peter.

"Hurry Up! Take Remus! He can't exactly make it on his own!"

"Maybe…" Peter began to stutter, "Maybe I should run and get Professor Dumbledore…" His eyes flickered to Remus, "You stay with…with…"

Sirius groaned. "Come on James. We need to get him out. Now."

Pulling his eyes away from Lily, James looked at Sirius and nodded. "I'll get Dumbledore," he said with an angry glare at Peter, "If Wormtail's too scared."

For the first time, Lily spoke.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?! What have you done to Remus?!" She stared down at the boy under Sirius' arm. He was almost screaming now, biting his lip to prevent the noise. Sweat dripped from the parts of his face Lily could make out from under his hair, and his eyes were screwed painfully together. She looked up to glare at Potter and Black, waiting for an explanation, but Potter had already left, and Black was now tutting and turning around with Remus in tow. She followed them across the common room, staring down at Remus' face. She could tell he was in serious pain.

"Sirius…" he groaned between gasping breaths, "Hurry…It's coming…"

"I am mate, I'm going as fast as I can." He threw a shout over his shoulder to the remaining Marauder.

"Peter, are you coming?"

Peter Pettigrew merely whimpered at the sight of his two friends as he tried to find the words to say. Sirius growled and let out a short, sharp, laugh like a bark, still marching to the portrait hole. They were close now.

"Evans! Move!"

Lily now stood in front of them, hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised. "Tell me what you've done."

With that, Sirius pushed her aside. She fell to the floor next to them just in time to see Remus' face clearly. This time, he couldn't control the scream as one of his bones snapped with a sickening crack. He opened his eyes and threw back his head in the pain, only to have it pushed down again by an anxious looking Sirius.

But that second was all she needed. She had seen the fear in the eyes of all four boys that night – but none so as scared as Remus. The eyes she saw were not the friendly hazel ones she was used to. Their inhumanness was unmistakable, their evil prominent. The eyes of Remus Lupin, the smiley, sometimes shy boy had gone, and what replaced them was something Lily had hoped she would never have to see.

They were the amber eyes of a wolf.

Staggering backwards in disbelief, she watched as Sirius pushed Remus through the portrait hole, his eyes switching from left to right at speed. The door closed behind them, leaving Lily standing in awe of what she had just seen.

A feeble whimper broke the silence.

Spinning on her heels and drawing her wand simultaneously, she turned to see the last remaining Marauder still standing by the staircase, tears streaming down his reddened cheeks. His eyes snapped up to meet hers. His widened as hers narrowed.

There was no stopping Lily Evans when she wanted answers.


	3. Wolf and Stag

James Potter was fast when he wanted to be. He tore through the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry at an astonishing speed, heading straight for Dumbledore's office. Reaching the statue, he yelled 'liquorice wands' and it leapt aside. He ran up the spiral stone staircase and burst through the door, not bothering to knock.

Two men stared at him on the other side of the door. He leaned on it's frame, panting hard, and recognised Professor Dumbledore and Professor Bones. _Good, _he thought, _that makes my job easier._

"Professors, Sir," he panted, trying to get his breath back, "It's Remus, Sir... something's wrong..." he took another gasp as the men's eyebrows pulled closer together, "Sirius is with him... he's taking him outside..."

The two Professors jumped to their feet, exchanging worried glances as they did so. They walked past the teenager in the doorway, ignoring him as they ran down the staircase and past the statue, heading out of the castle. James made to follow them.

"No, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore held out an arm, blocking his path, "Return to your dormitory please, if you will. We will send news once the safety of you classmates is assured."

Nodding, the boy slowly turned in the direction of Gryffindor tower, pretending to head that way. But James Potter was not the kind of person who stood around waiting for answers. No, he needed to be in the action. Especially when two of his best friends were in danger.

***

Sirius and Remus were nearly at the edge of the tunnel, leading to just outside the main entrance of the castle.

"It's okay mate, we're almost there now," Sirius whispered down at the boy under his arms, who was becoming less of a boy every minute. The shaking had become more violent now, and his tawny hair was longer and glued to his forehead. Remus could no longer contain the screams of pain as he fought the beast in his mind, and every so often his agony echoed through the worn tunnel. Sirius hated this, wishing he could help.

The cold night air whipped them as they reached the end of the tunnel. Pushing through the exit, Sirius lead Remus out into the moonlit night. He looked up. Sure enough, there hung the full moon, staring down at them, mocking them. Some kind of lunar disturbance. Sirius tutted. Now was really not the time.

"Mr. Black! Step away!"

Sirius' focus was stolen by two cloaked men running out of the glowing entrance of the castle. Professor Bones was waving his arms in the air, beckoning Sirius closer to him. He peeled his arm from around his friend's back, and Remus staggered away, throwing his head upwards and arching his back violently in the moonlight. A number of cracking sounds following, accompanied by another sickening scream of agony from Remus. Sirius felt tears prick at his eyes as he walked backwards to where his teachers stood, their wands raised. The three of them watched as the beast, hidden away inside the darkest corners of Remus Lupin's mind, took ahold of the boy they all knew. They stared as any trace of the boy disappeared, until all that was left was an angered, growling, ravenous beast, glaring at them with intense amber eyes.

It started to step towards them.

Sirius found himself pushed behind the two Professors. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the wolf before him. He had seen James and Peter transform too many times to count, but none of those had ever had such an effect on him. Because this transformation was not one of choice; it was a painful reminder of a forgotten mistake.

The wolf snarled and snapped at the three men, as they aimed their wands at it. It was the best chance they had, but they knew it wouldnt be enough. If it came to it, they would die tonight.

Suddenly, a clattering of hooves broke the tension. The humans and wolf alike turned to see a magnificent stag galloping in the direction of the snarling beast. It lowered it's head, and using it's antlers to hold it in place, pushed the wolf to the floor. The wolf howled and growled at the stag whilst the humans simply looked on in amazement. As the stag began to push the wolf toward the Whomping Willow, all three men let out a heavy sigh of relief.

They were safe. They were alive.


	4. Explanations

Sirius was instructed to return to his dormitory and to bed. He watched his headmaster walk back to his office as he began to walk to Gryffindor tower. But, once the man was out of earshot, he returned to the entrance, waiting for James.

Sure enough, he was there, leaning on the door frame, clutching a bleeding arm. Sirius ran to him, knowing how serious the situation could be.

"We should get you to the hospital wing," he said, looking down at his friend's wound.

"What, and make them all suspicious?" James shook his head, "It's just a scratch."

Sirius lead James back to their common room in a similar way to how he had lead Remus from the castle earlier. He helped him through the portrait hole, and they began to make their way across the now deserted common room.

Or so they thought.

A cough caught their attention, and they swivelled around, wands at the ready. Lily Evans walked out of the shadows and into the flickering light emitted from the fireplace. Her eyes were narrowed and she cocked her head to one side. Only then did the two boys notice she wasn't alone. Behind her, a weeping Peter Pettigrew came into view.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Explanation?"

Meeting her gaze, Sirius sighed. "Remus is fine now. Don't worry." He shot a glance at Peter, as if to say 'no thanks to you'. He cowered back further into the shadows.

Lily let out a soft laugh, heavy with sarcasm. "What was wrong in the first place?"

"I told you Lily, we can't say..." Peter piped up from behind her. She silenced him with a look, impatience in her vivid green eyes. Sirius spoke, and she turned back to him. "He's right. Not now, Evans. Just go back to bed."

The girl shook her head, still glaring at Sirius, who had begun to walk away. Peter followed closely behind, James bringing up the rear.

"No, I want to know now! I saw his face before! What did you do?!"

She was shocked into silence as James Potter turned around, staring at her with steely eyes. This expression didn't suit him, and it caused Lily to stop, speechless.

"We said not now, Evans."

And with that, they left. Lily slumped into an armchair by the fireplace, thinking. She had been sure of what she had seen that night. Those were not Remus' eyes she had seen. They weren't even human. She knew that, but she didn't believe it. She searched her mind looking for a logical explanation, but one thought kept returning, and it wouldn't go away.

What if Severus was right? What if Remus really was a werewolf?

No. Not possible.

Or was it?

Running her hand through her hair, she stood up and headed for her dormitory, pausing to look through the window. The moon smiled down at her, as if to confirm her suspicions. It was full, lighting up the sky. She turned away.

A distant, painful howl drifted through the air.

**A/N: So did you like it? I'm not too sure about the ending, but i didn't want to drag it on any longer. Maybe I'll continue it someday, if i think of any good ideas. I really enjoyed that, to be honest, and i can't wait to start a new one. I've got a few ideas ^.^ :)**

**Reviews and criticism welcomed. Thanks guys! :D**

**chipzi xo**


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